


The Necromancer's Apprentice

by nunyasol



Category: Divinity: Original Sin (Video Games), Divinity: Original Sin 2 (Video Games)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Blood, Coercion, Dubious Consent, F/M, Humiliation, Humiliation kink, Knotting, Love/Hate, Masochism, Master/Slave, Rough Sex, Ryker is not a good person, Sadism, Sexual Coercion, Shameless Smut, Slut Shaming, Smut, elves knot because I say so, this gal has issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:00:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24955720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nunyasol/pseuds/nunyasol
Summary: A young woman deserts the Black Ring and goes to a feared sourcerer and rumored necromancer for shelter. They strike a bargain: sexual slavery for magical instruction and a place to live. Too bad said necromancer is a nasty, sadistic fuck. Set before the game, during the War. First chapter is a brief setup followed by filthy porn, second chapter is kind of an epilogue.
Relationships: Ryker/Original Female Character (Divinity: Original Sin)
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This gets very explicit, please mind the tags.

* * *

Ava stood before the huge iron gates. The sky above was grey, covered by menacing rain clouds. A light drizzle moistened the short grass growing between the cobblestones. Beyond the bars stood Stonegarden: the largest cemetery in all of the Reaper's Coast. The path ahead was lined with gravestones, some freshly placed, some eroded by time, some crooked. A figure stood close beyond the gate with their back to her, digging a hole. 

"Hello!" Ava tried to get his attention. The figure kept digging. They didn't seem to hear her. "Hello?" Ava raised her voice, "May I come in?"

Now she got a reaction. The person, still holding the shovel, turned to face her. Ava stopped waving and took a step back in shock. A black mask with a long, curved beak covered their face. They stared at her for a few seconds before turning and resuming their digging. 

“Rude,” Ava muttered under her breath. She pushed on the great gate; it slowly swung open with a long creak. The crossroads ahead led South, where the path was lined with more tombs to the right and with large willow trees to the left To the West it led to a group of small mausoleums and East to the garden of a large two-story mansion. She walked towards the garden, keeping an eye on the gravedigger. They didn’t seem to pay her any attention at all. 

It was pretty barren for a garden. Most of it was covered in the same cobblestone as the path, with unkempt weeds and wildflowers growing in the surrounding flower beds. An old stone monument with a cross on top stood in the center. To the side there was a hitching post, along with hay and a water pump, but they didn’t seem to be used often. Ava used the pump to wash her face and fill her waterskin. So many days on the road had her thirsty and grimy. She also used the occasion to loosely rebraid her black hair, tucking in stray curls as best she could. She dried her hands on her robes and approached the house. It was bigger than any single home she had seen before. The stone walls sported tall and thin windows. The ones on the first floor were so high she couldn’t see anything but lit ceilings. She walked the steps to a door flanked with ugly gargoyles. 

The large door was carved with botanical shapes and outfitted with a large, ornate knocker in the middle. Ava reached for it, but stopped when the door started to change shape before her eyes. 

The carved lines swirled and formed a rudimentary face, with lips that moved as it spoke with a gravelly voice, “Why are you here? Tell me, and mind that you tell me true.” 

Ava gaped as she thought of the proper— and truthful— way to introduce herself to a door. “I’m Ava, a mage hailing from Arx. I’m looking for shelter and apprenticeship.” 

The door stilled. Several moments later, Ava started to think she had failed the test when it spoke again.

“Enter.” The door slowly creaked open, the face disappearing as the botanical pattern came back on the surface. Ava stepped into a wide, long hallway. She had never seen such opulence before. Pristine white-and-gold wallpaper and ornate oak paneling covered the walls while a rich red rug with a golden fringe covered the floor. Paintings hung on both walls up to the staircase at the end. A fine dresser to the side displayed a set of cut glass cups and a pitcher. Everything was picture-perfect, as if out from the romantic novels a younger Ava liked to read, but for one thing. Two figures like the one digging outside stood guard at either side of the entrance. When she entered, they moved their heads to look at her for a few seconds, then returned to looking straight ahead. Their arms hung slack at their sides. A shiver wrecked her body as she tentatively stepped past them. There was something _wrong_ about them. She had seen people enchanted or brainwashed to do another’s bidding, but even those didn’t stand as still. It was also because of the masks: there were no visible orifices. Even the eyes were covered with a dark glass lens, so nothing of the person inside was visible. They could’ve been completely empty for all that Ava knew. 

Farther in, the hall led to a dining room to the left and a study to the right. She entered the study, her heart beating faster with each step. Most of the walls were lined with bookshelves and those that weren’t displayed strange, curious antiquities- or trinkets, she could not tell. More rugs covered the floor, but also books and scrolls, piled up haphazardly in a corner. Three more masked servants stood in the room: two near the entrance, by opposite walls, and one in the farthest corner of the room, by a desk. Sitting in the desk was the man Ava had journeyed hundreds of miles for: Ryker the Necromancer. 

His face was all sharp lines with thin, pale skin clinging to every feature. He had a projected, curved nose with a tall bridge. His eyes were dark, almond-shaped and wide-set below his prominent brow. His thin lips were tightened into a taut line. He had a strong jaw with a pointed chin, completely free of stubble. His pointed ears stuck out of straight, bright blond hair that brushed his shoulders. He wasn't unattractive, but he did look odd in the way elves did. He was well dressed: an embroidered black doublet fastened with silver buttons with a white dress shirt underneath and matching black breeches. When Ava entered he was hunched forward in his desk, writing on a parchment with careful, precise strokes. As she approached he rested the quill in it's inkpot and leant back in his chair, a slight smile resting on his lips. 

"Welcome to my home, _Ava_ ," he states with an incredibly deep but smooth voice. It was so low it seemed to vibrate in Ava's chest. "What a _delightful_ occasion, to have a visitor." 

A chill of fear fell over her, prickling every nerve of her skin. He had said nothing but pleasantries, yet her heart thumped as if trying to escape her ribcage. There was something— his intense, unblinking gaze, or perhaps she could feel the potential of Source around him— that made Ava feel like she just entered a wolf’s den. She opened her mouth but no words came. 

Ryker raised an eyebrow. "I can see your journey has tired you greatly. Please take a seat, I’ll call for—”

“No!” Ava exclaimed. Ryker stared, one hand frozen in the middle of a gesture. “I- I mean,” she stammered, “I’m fine, thank you. I have come here to be your apprentice.” She wrung her hands behind her back. She had snapped into action but her fear remained. 

Ryker gave her a curious look. “So I heard when you entered.” He placed his folded hands on the desk, leaning forward. “Yet you failed to disclose your allegiance, _Black Ring_.”

Ava now fought to ignore the voice in her head screaming to run away. “I left. I was stationed near Arx but I escaped some months ago. I no longer serve them.” 

“Even if I take you at your word, that does not explain why you appeared at _my_ doorstep,” a touch of irritation tinged his words. “Surely there was someone, _anyone_ else you could have asked for shelter." 

Ava swallowed. There was no going back after this. “I have no one.” She tried to appeal her case again. "I want to be your apprentice. I have heard much of your expertise in the necromantic arts and I wish to learn from you. I already know the basics so I won’t be in your way. I can do whatever jobs you need done in the cemetery or your home. I can run errands. I can assist you in your experiments. I can—”

"Please!” Ryker raised his hand, bidding her to stop. He now spoke with a colder voice, “Alright, little soldier. You are clearly enthusiastic about this, if misguided. I don’t need assistance with my graveyard or anything else. Whatever I do not do myself, I have _these_ at my disposal.” He gestured to the figure behind him. _It_ remained deathly still, straight as an arrow and with its hands clasped behind its back. She was almost certain the creature wasn't breathing. 

"I can do more than a mindless puppet," Ava countered. She straightened herself and raised her chin. "I’m not misguided. I will be more than an assistant. I will become indispensable for your work." 

Ryker now raised his clasped hands in front of his mouth. His dark eyes held her pale blue ones in an intense, unblinking gaze. They remained so for a few seconds until he started laughing. He cackled loudly, throwing his head backwards and clapping as if she just dropped the punchline to a great joke. He mimicked wiping tears from his eyes as he regarded her again. “Pray tell, how do you plan to do that?” his voice dripped contempt. 

“I can show you if you give me the opportunity,” Ava retorted. It wasn’t the strongest of arguments but she couldn’t come up with anything better.

“You are either _very_ desperate or _very_ arrogant.” With a sharp creak, Ryker pushed back his chair and stood. At full height he was even more imposing, the characteristic elven physique of broad shoulders and thin waist exaggerated by his jacket. He circled the desk to stand at barely two feet from her, never breaking eye contact. She maintained his gaze and remained still, chin up and defiant. He was nearly two heads taller than her. She tried to maintain her air of confidence in spite of knowing he wasn't fooled. His predatory eyes seemed to peel back her skin and see how terrified she really was. With dramatic flair, Ryker brought one index finger to his thin lips and crossed his other arm under the first. He hummed and, with the ghost of a smirk, slowly trailed his gaze down and then back up her body.

Ava cursed to herself. She couldn’t recall when she last checked her cloak, which was supposed to cover the ridiculous, skimpy Black Ring “uniform” that was more an artistically arranged collection of leather straps than clothing. Months after leaving the battlefield, the cloak was badly weathered. She was pretty sure her upper chest and cleavage were showing, based on how his eyes slightly widened at that height. She suppressed the urge to cover herself. This wasn’t the first time a man was about to include her body in a negotiation, but it was the first time she had no other leverage. Her options were reduced to play along or beg. 

When he met her eyes again, the smirk on his lips materialized as he declared, “There is _one_ thing I need assistance with.” Ryker stepped closer, casting his shadow over her. Hating herself for it, Ava dropped the stoic charade. She lowered her shoulders and wrapped her arms around her as he hunched forward, encroaching her space. 

White teeth shone in a sly grin, “Something you seem well equipped to handle and that my servants are… _woefully_ unable to.” 

Against her better judgement, Ava eyed the silent, masked figure standing nearby. It looked as unaffected as when she first arrived. Shuddering, she was about to picture Ryker “testing” it when he roughly seized her jaw and forced her to look up. 

“If you want to be my apprentice, you need to learn how to behave,” his voice dropped even lower, almost threatening. “Look at me when I talk to you.” His other hand rested on her waist, fingers slightly digging into her flesh. 

Ava perked up. A hint of Ryker actually accepting her proposition was all it took for her to swallow her pride. “Yes, Master,” she enunciated pleasantly, her eyes locked onto his. She unconsciously tongued and bit the inside of her bottom lip, still nervous. He tightened his grip and lifted her chin even higher, forcing her neck into a painful angle as he studied her intently. She felt a bead of cold sweat run down her back. What was he searching? Insincerity? Greed? Insanity? Ava didn’t notice when or if he finished his analysis, as without warning he crashed his lips against hers in a violent kiss. After a couple seconds in shock, she tried to return the kiss but he was too erratic. He quickly moved between mouthing and licking and biting and shoving his tongue in her. She settled on keeping her lips parted and pliant and her tongue slightly thrust forward to return his bruising affections.

Closing her eyes, she tried to lose herself in the moment in spite of the fear still gripping her. She lifted her arms tentatively and he released her chin to instead grab a fistful of her messy braid close to her scalp. His other arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. She fully leaned into him, her arms wrapping around his neck and her legs standing on the highest of tiptoes to not break their kiss. He slipped his hand under her ass and propped one leg up, fondling her through the thin cloak. Ava inhaled his scent: the rich smell of sandalwood plus notes of cloves, honey and wine mingled with just the right amount of masculine musk. She let out a small moan and, in response, Ryker whisked her by her waist, spinned her around and slammed her on top of the desk. Pens, notes and fine instruments scattered about as he positioned himself firmly between her legs and planted his hands at either side of her head. 

“Humans are _delicious_ ,” he panted as his mouth extended into a devilish grin. “Your species is so desperate to breed that the females go into heat at the lightest touch.” Her mouth fell open. Nobody had insulted her so obscenely before. Yet instead of the hot anger she expected, her spine prickled with arousal down to her sex. She wasn’t done processing his words when he claimed her mouth again. He slipped one arm under her back and she willingly arched her body against his, desperate for more contact. She couldn’t hold back another moan when he moved his lips to her lower jaw. He trailed it with kisses until he reached her ear. “Will you be a good girl and give me your body?”

“Yes, Master,” Ava pleaded breathlessly, “take it.” Her mind was hazy with lust. She shuddered with pleasure at his hot breath against her ear, but the ecstasy lasted for only a second. An intense, piercing pain erupted from her shoulder as Ryker growled and bit down hard with sharp fangs. She gasped and the rumors of elves hunting and eating people flashed into her mind. He must have sensed her whole body cringe because he quickly let go and licked the wound. 

“My apologies,” he muttered in a dark, amused voice, “but try to be more careful about what you wish.” Low, rumbling moans emerged from his chest as he continued to lap up blood. She noticed in passing that the pain subsided unusually fast. Her fear coiled her stomach and mixed strangely with her arousal, making her slightly nauseous. He stopped licking and returned his lips to hers, except now they were stained red with her own blood. Ava gathered all the resolve she had left to throw herself into his mouth, kissing back wildly and savoring the sickening taste of iron. Moaning lewdly into his mouth, she buried her fears deep inside her and embraced the mad lust they were conjuring together. 

She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in closer. He thrust his hips involuntarily and pressed his clothed erection against her crotch, eliciting a moan from Ava. He moved to the other side of her neck and trailed down her chest with open-mouthed kisses. He fervently kissed and licked the swell of her breasts. His eyes darted to the desk and he picked up a small knife that hadn’t yet been pushed over. With some effort he sliced the leather harness covering her breasts, releasing them. He stared lustily as they spilled out and her pink nipples hardened. They sat atop the fullest part of her teardrop- shaped breasts, pointing slightly outwards. He lowered his mouth on one, gently sucking and lapping at the nub. Ava moaned wantonly and placed a hand behind his head, pulling him closer. His mouth alternated between both breasts and with one hand he played with the other. He grazed her nipple with his sharp teeth, earning him a pleased groan. She tried to enjoy the look of his hazy eyes and flushed cheeks the whole time, but couldn’t avoid throwing her head back with a cry. 

Ryker moved lower, unfastening the cloak until he reached the end of the opening midway to her navel. He nonchalantly grabbed the fabric and ripped it down the middle with a startling sound. Ava looked down and saw that the only thing between her nakedness and Ryker’s hungry eyes was the leather harness holding the black flowing cloth covering her crotch and the inner third of her thighs. _“Who even designed this uniform?_ ” she couldn’t help but marvel at the impracticality of it. She had to suppress a smile at Ryker’s current face, the closest to “annoyance” she had seen him emote yet. He forcefully pulled the cloth to one side, revealing a thin piece of light fabric that clung to her pussy. It was wet to his touch. 

“See what I meant about humans?” he sneered, “your whore cunt will get wet for any man, no matter the species.” He continued to rub with careful, dexterous fingers, drawing moans from Ava in spite of her humiliated self. “Are you holding back?” he placed both hands on her thighs, his incredibly deep voice dripping mockery. “You already sold your body. Pretending to have modesty is just getting in the way.” He pushed her legs back and wide, fully exposing her crotch to him. She felt the side of a blade, cold as ice through the fabric covering her labia. He slipped the knife under the cloth and cut the top of the garment with surgical precision. 

He sighed at the sight of her sex. It was invitingly wet and reddened with her dark, natural pubic hair framing it. Ava now placed both hands on her thighs, gripping them to avoid the temptation of shutting them closed. He was too concentrated on her pussy to notice her trembling arms. She got goosebumps as she compared their current positions: she, completely naked and holding her legs wide for his pleasure. He, fully clothed, towering over her with a blatant erection and a wicked smile. After what seemed like whole minutes, he looked away and down to his pants instead. He hurriedly unbuttoned his trousers and her heartbeat reached a fever pitch. Ava had bedded a decent amount of men for her twenty-six years of age, but she had never seen a penis like this before. It was decently girthy but very, _very_ long. Not terrifying levels of long, but still worrying. Most importantly, the head peeking out was an angry red and pointy. As he stroked himself he pulled the skin back and revealed that it looked mostly normal, but instead of ending in a rounded bell shape it kept curving upwards to form a sharp point. If she had paid closer attention, she would’ve also seen two unfamiliar swells at either side of the base of the shaft, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the tip. A loud cackle startled her back to the present. 

“Is this your first elf cock?” Ryker asked gleefully, his mirthful expression in cruel juxtaposition with the angry member in his fist. “Oh, this will be so much _fun_.”

He swiftly moved on her, like a cat pouncing on its prey. He held her labia open with one hand and with the other guided his penis inside. Ava breathed deeply, relaxing her muscles to receive more of him. She hadn’t had any sex for a long time and so was tight although embarrassingly wet. Ryker let out a contented sigh, holding a few seconds pause before pushing slowly but relentlessly until he fully entered her. Ava twisted her face with pain. If everything went well, she knew that after the first few pumps she’d accommodate to his size and would enjoy it. As he dragged his penis out and jammed it back in, she yelped. The jab of his pointy head was unfamiliar and painful. Ryker noticed her grimace and slowed his pumping to lower his face and gently nip her lip. Ava hungrily kissed him, tongues dancing together as they moaned into each other's mouth. He resumed with slow thrusts, one hand holding her hips close and the other caressing her arched back. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she held onto him with arms and legs like her life depended on it. She angled her hips towards his thrusts, trying to fit him better and trusting him to not hurt her further. He responded by also rotating his hips and gently licking her tears away. The act felt perverted and kind in equal measure. 

After much clumsy experimentation they found an angle that worked for both. The jabbing now reduced to a light prod against her walls, she moaned ardently as he slid in and out. He bent into an arch as he rested his forehead on her shoulder and fell into a steady rhythm. The room echoed with the unmistakable noise of skin slapping together rhythmically. A couple times he slipped into fast and erratic pounding before catching himself and slowing down to a sensuous rolling of hips, drawing throaty moans from Ava. She firmly locked her legs behind his back and flexed with his movement, squeezing her cunt when he pulled out and relaxing when he pushed back in. Eventually he picked up the pace and grabbed her hips to slam himself in with each thrust, sending waves of raw pleasure in her core. She mindlessly moaned his name, Lucian's and assorted curses in quick succession. He responded by muttering in an unknown language with some elvish curses she recognized sprinkled in, decreasingly articulate. His thrusts degenerated into desperate, animalistic rutting. He fucked her cunt like it was the only thing in the world, ignoring Ava’s cries as he dug his nails deep in her skin. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck in an attempt to keep her head from slamming into the desk. His hot, labored breaths were only interrupted by the groans vibrating from his throat. Their sweat and fluids mixed together and ran down her thighs in complete disregard to any kind of propriety. It was intoxicating. Above all, the pounding of his rock-solid cock overwhelmed her senses and made her moan stupidly in his ear. He came with a bestial roar and bit into her neck, convulsing inside her. She barely felt his fangs piercing her skin for a second time and just held him close. 

Ava relished the sensation of being filled with closed eyes. She finally felt the wound when he pulled out his teeth, but the pain subsided rapidly as he licked. She waited for the clumsy unmounting process that usually immediately followed a man’s orgasm. He did lift himself from her, but his penis was still firmly inside. She waited for an unexpectedly long amount of time before opening her eyes. Ryker was above her, still with an expression of rapture in his face and his hands holding onto her hips with a vice-like grip. He was even slowly rolling his hips into her, his erection unabated. Her confusion only grew when she noticed he seemed to grow larger in her. She felt something swell and stretch her entrance. Ryker had a tense look now. He pushed himself even deeper inside her, shoving the swell inside until it slipped all the way in. Relief washed over his features and he leisurely brushed away the hair strands that had stuck to his face with sweat. 

Ava was now uncomfortably stuffed, in addition to confused. “What is happening? Aren’t you done?” He looked at her blankly before realization dawned. Instead of explaining, he burst into laughter. 

Her face turned into a scowl. “Are you planning on doing something besides standing there?” She regretted the last sentence before she even finished it. 

He roughly grabbed her jaw and lowered his face to hers, snarling. “Don’t talk back to me,” he spat. Hurt but defiant, she held his stare. He quickly composed himself and released her, straightening up. “I just knotted you. We’re not done for at least another half hour,” he explained with a softer tone. He turned his eyes away, looking shy for a brief moment… or ashamed. 

Ava blinked. She wasn't sure she saw something real or a trick of the light. "I… I don't understand." She stated, taken aback. 

Ryker returned to his cold, arrogant self with a crack of his neck. He squinted at her before sighing dramatically. “I’m not in the mood to give a lecture on anatomy right now." He shifted his attention to where their bodies met. "If you’re so bored, I can keep playing with your cunt.” A smirk slowly crept up his face as he lowered his hand and traced where she stretched around his girth. She shuddered and tilted her hips toward him as she turned her face away, flustered. He thumbed between her labia and spread the slick liquid over her clit. She sighed and rolled her hips, eager to lose herself in his touch again. He dragged his thumb up and down the swollen nub, then with a circular motion coaxed it out of hiding. Ava let out a sharp hiss. It didn't hurt, but her clit was so sensitive the touch became almost unbearable. He eyed her carefully, paying close attention to how she reacted to each touch. She became more and more aroused even as she gasped at the intensity of the stimulation. He kept dipping in between her lips to gather more liquid to glide over her exposed clit. He eventually turned to quickly rubbing her off with the pads two fingers. She was completely taken by his spell, she could only respond by writhing and moaning in mounting pleasure. Nearing her climax, she felt herself contract around his length. Ryker let out a grateful groan as his focus lapsed for a second, but just as fast he resumed his task. His attentions produced wet, squelching noises that resonated across the room. The only other sounds were her desperate moans and his jagged breathing. With a pained groan that ended in a loud cry she came on his cock. Waves of pleasure seared her body as her clit throbbed with her orgasm. Her body contorted erotically: her back arched as her abdomen spasmed hard, lifting her hips with involuntary jerks. He moaned with her as she unwittingly milked him with her contracting cunt. She moaned long and low, tapering down to a silent cry as her climax subsided and her body relaxed. He waited for her to catch her breath. His fingers idly traced the stretch marks across her outer thighs. 

Finally spent, his member slid out of her. Ava felt something gushing out of her vagina and running down her ass. With a groan she got up on wobbly arms to look between her legs. Her jaw dropped at the sheer volume of his spent, white and thick, pouring out of her. It pooled on his desk, dangerously nearing the edge. She mouthed a silent curse and stared at Ryker wide-eyed. He wasn't paying attention, instead tucking himself in his pants with a handkerchief in hand. Looking up, he let out a low chuckle but didn't address her incredulity, moving instead to carefully wipe his cum from her skin. Ava maintained her stunned silence. Never before a man had bothered to help her deal with their post-sex mess. He threw the soaked cloth to the side and produced a second handkerchief from a vest pocket. He bent forward, taking care to clean every fold of her sex to her great embarrassment. She let him go on anyway. 

Finished, Ryker rose and offered his upturned hands. Ava meekly took them and, following his lead, carefully spinned her legs to the side of the desk, scooting forward. In one swift motion he wordlessly scooped her up and carried her bridal style. He even bothered to gather the pathetic remnants of what was once her cloak to cover her nakedness. Bewildered, she held tight onto his neck. She realized how little she understood this man, who could tear her flesh apart one minute and care for her with the gentlest of touches the next. Even so, a warm sense of safety enveloped her. She nuzzled into his shoulder, breathing in his scent and sighing happily. As Ryker turned to the closed door, Ava’s sigh turned into a mortified whimper. The three masked servants still stood exactly where they were when she first entered the room. 


	2. Chapter 2

Ava sank into the gentle heat of the bath. She had vigorously scrubbed weeks of dirt and sweat along with the evidence from her earlier tryst. Now she observed the flickering flames of the nearby candelabra reflected on the water. They scented the air with the faint smell of beeswax, adding sweet notes to the penetrating lavender fragrance emanating from the bath. She inhaled deeply, holding the breath for a second before slowly exhaling. The vapors seemed to purify her lungs and clear the painful memories stuck in her mind. 

She turned her thoughts to the preceding events. She was in a daze most of the way, but she remembered going upstairs and entering this room. Ryker deposited her in the nearby bed and invited her to join him for dinner across the hall before leaving. Mysteriously, the bath was already prepared as they entered the room. She had searched the room for secret doorsor creepy servants, but failing to uncover anything, she peeled off the remainder of her “clothing” and gratefully made use of the tub.

Now she pondered on what would unfold at dinner, her stomach tightening with nervous excitement. In this large mansion she’d be safe at last. Far from the warfronts and any significant Divine Order post, far from the Black Ring who would never bother to look into this backwater corner of the Reaper’s Coast. A simple graveyard was enough to keep superstitious farmers and townsfolk away. A large, ancient complex ran by silent black-clad figures with a Sourcerer and rumored necromancer elf as their overseer injected dread in most potential visitors. He had also maintained a policy of neutrality towards the war as long as anyone could remember. It was almost as if both sides were too creeped out to concrispt him. She giggled at the thought of Ryker being so terrifying that not even the mighty Black Ring dared to cross him. 

If the rumors were true, it’d also mean she would place her life in the hands of a  _ very  _ dangerous man. He certainly carried himself like one. Before things really got heated he was unfazed, each word, movement and expression felt cooly calculated. Stories told of visitors who stayed too late into the night were ambushed by Ryker and had their souls devoured and their bodies join the ranks of his undead army. She knew first hand tales like these were often greatly exaggerated: rumormongering turned mundane events into bad omens and simple magic into demonic witchery of the highest order. Even so, she couldn’t ignore the chill down her spine at the sight of his masked servants or how his eyes shone with savage delight when he forced her into submission.

She stared down at her thighs. Her pale skin was marked with all kinds of fresh cuts and multicolored bruises. They continued down her inner thighs until they met her groin. Ava lifted her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She hummed a somber tune sung by her fellow soldiers when they lost a comrade in arms. “ _ If he planned to kill me _ ,” she reflected, “ _ he could’ve done it a dozen times by this point. _ ” She held onto the sliver of hope before it crumbled as she recalled that some beasts were known to play with their food. She sadly tried to convince herself that dying at the hands of a skilled necromancer was preferable to being stabbed by some vagrant and left to rot in the woods. A single water drip echoed in the room and interrupted the somber silence. 

She shook her head and with a splash stood up in the tub, determined to banish the dark thoughts from her mind. Some elf with control issues and a bad temper wasn’t going to crush her spirit now, after she deserted the Black Ring and survived. She also survived having sex with the man in his own home where he could act with zero consequences. Hell, she even enjoyed it. She could take worse mistreatment tomorrow and then some more. She wasn’t defenseless either. She was also a necromancer and she could pack a mean punch with or without walking undead. She was going to earn her place here and either leave alive or die at a respectable mature age.

Water dripped down her legs as she stepped out on the old hardwood floor. A neatly folded towel rested on the nearby single bed. As she dried her hair and tried to pull the tangles with half of a wooden comb, she observed her surroundings. The walls were bare. The one at the head of the bed sported a long window adorned with intricate metalwork. On the opposite side hung a thick red curtain separating her present bedroom area from a dusty worktable and an empty armoire. A small bedside table held a jug of water and a wooden cup. An unremarkable wooden chair faced the bathtub. To her great delight she spotted a hand mirror resting on a top of dresser. She examined her face on the small reflective surface. It was thin and haggard from her time on the run. Hollow cheeks and sunken eyes tried to make her fit in with the other Stonegarden residents. Her lips remained full and shapely but were horribly chapped and bitten. The warm candlelight dulled her blue-grey eyes, timid behind long, dark lashes. She spied red and violet bruises on both sides of her neck, trailing down her clavicles to the left and down her shoulder to the right. The bites looked better than she expected, but were still raw and tender. She grimaced, placing the mirror back down.

She went back to her hair, failing to untangle the bottom third of it. She searched inside her tall boots for a small dagger inside a holster. She pulled her hair and cut off the matted curls. Finished, she combed her remaining hair into waves that brushed her shoulders and hid some of the abuse on her skin. She twisted some locks into a small braid and fixed it behind her ear with a brass hairpin in the shape of a six-pointed star. Admiring her work in the tiny mirror, Ava smiled. It had been long months since she last felt beautiful. She turned to the garments laying on the bed. Fortunately they included a much-needed set of proper underwear. Her old, cut up leather harness laid abandoned in a corner as she dressed. The chemise of thin linen felt delightfully soft against her tender skin. The shirt was a light cornflower blue fitted around along her torso with long sleeves cuffed with lace. The woolen skirt was a rich brown color and was worn fastened around her waist with a yellow velvet sash. She felt incredibly awkward in such fine, femenine garments. Never in her life she had worn anything close to it. Considering she literally had zero other options at the moment, she stepped into the slippers at the foot of the bed and left the room. 

Her heart pounded wildly inside her ribcage as she slowly opened the door. The walls were covered in the same opulent floral pattern as the first floor, rich red curtains draped decoratively from the crown moulding. To her right, a red sofa faced a beautiful glass and metal window. A bottle of wine and a silver cup sat on a nearby end table. To her left, a masked servant guarded the path to the descending staircase. Crossing the threshold, Ava closed the door behind her and froze. A dark figure had appeared less than a yard from her.  _ Staring  _ at her. She stood still and after what felt like a full minute it turned its head forward. She cursed herself when she realized the beak-faced thing probably stood there the whole time, guarding her room. Still unsettled, she crossed the extravagant hallway and stood right outside the half-opened door in the opposite wall. Drawing a deep breath, she stepped in.

She entered a huge room mirroring the dimensions of the one she just left. That’s where the resemblance stopped, however. It was richly decorated with paintings and curtains adorning every wall. A long dinner table occupied the center. It was covered by neatly arranged golden cutlery, plates and goblets, bottles of wine in various stages of consumption, silk napkins and a feast of fruit, meat and cheese at the center. To the left an ornate wooden partition hid what she presumed was a large bed. To the right Ryker sat at a large wooden desk with his back toward her. He was in the middle of writing something, but soon placed the quill in a small ink pot and rose to his feet. He was impeccably dressed in the same outfit as earlier but without a jacket, sporting only the white shirt. In stark contrast to Ava, there was no evidence of their “activities” upon his skin but for a small, reddened bruise in his lower lip. 

“Shall we?” he asked and gestured to the table with a pomposity that Ava couldn’t tell was genuine or deliberately exaggerated. 

They sat across each other in silence. Ava served her plate without much care and ate with her hands, too hungry to care about manners. Ryker ate his with a knife and fork, amused by her rudeness. She sneaked glances at him every other time she drank her wine, which was amazingly tasty to her palate used to oxidized and sour ones. The few times he met her eyes she couldn’t avoid darting them away, probably amusing him further. 

They spent a little over half an hour like that before Ryker cleared his throat. “I hope you enjoyed your food,” his deep, velvet-smooth voice returned to the even, elegant tone he first greeted her with. He folded his hands on the table. “We started this association in an... untraditional manner, but I am willing to take you as my apprentice.” He licked his lips and leaned forward conspiratorially, “You understand the nature of our arrangement?” 

His words hung in the heavy silence. Ava swallowed hard, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. This was the moment she was waiting for, the moment for which she endured so much. She opened her mouth and found her voice was stuck in her throat. She bit her bottom lip before closing her eyes and hanging her head down, breathing deeply. She squared her shoulders and faced him with steely determination, “Yes, I understand.” 

“You  _ actually  _ understand what we are exchanging, right?” Ryker repeated. He leaned back in his chair. “You are free to refuse me, stay here for the night and walk away tomorrow with no repercussions,” he dramatized disinterest by waving his hand in the air and looking away. 

She ignored the chance to back out. “You will instruct me in the necromantic arts and I will satisfy your carnal desires.”

He resumed eye contact with her. “You will satisfy me in any place, at any time and in any manner I want. I am asking for a harlot, not a wife.” 

Ava felt her jaw fall open, taken aback by how properly he enunciated such a crass statement. She quickly composed herself and shot back a corresponding retort, “Yes. I will always be available to you. I will service you in your bed, your desk, your sofa, your dining room, your cellar,” she unintentionally raised her voice with each word, ”I will fuck you on the floor, the ground, a casket, a pit in the earth, a pile of bones.” She breathed hard as she finished, eyes burning with unhinged passion. A few seconds of silence followed as her sober self processed her words. Ashamed, her gaze fell to her lap in disbelief of her depravity.

Ryker looked at her with an expression approximating surprise, leaning sideways on his chair with a fist over his mouth. His shoulders first shook with sporadic, constrained chuckles. They slowly turned into short, pleasant laughs that in turn evolved to a spasmic, wheezing cackle. He sunk in his chair and tried to hide his downturned face behind his hand. He sported a genuine, mirthful smile as he laughed breathlessly. Ava first stared wide-eyed, but it wasn’t long before she also lost it. She snorted and bent forward giggling uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she turned her head back with a full belly laugh. They slowly settled back into their chairs and caught their breath, interrupted by Ava’s occasional giggles. Ryker, more composed but still grinning, turned to her. “I think you and I will get along very, very well.” A bashful smile crossed Ava’s face. Ryker looked genuinely handsome for the first time. 

He leaned back and called Ava with a beckoning hand. She stood up and followed, more eager than she would admit to herself. Ryker observed smugly as she straddled him, pulling back her skirt mid-thigh. Their difference in height was such that Ava still wasn’t at eye level with him, so she pressed her chest against his and dragged herself upwards. Their lips met in a clumsy but delightfully tender kiss. He gently pushed her away and clasped her right hand in the air between them. Ava, still smiling goofily from their kiss, looked with curiosity as he turned her hand upwards. Tightening his grip, he began to trace sigils with one finger on her open palm. The strokes left ghostly trails that quickly evaporated. He finished with a circle dashed by a horizontal line. It shined green for a brief moment before it sunk into her skin. Snapping from a trance-like state, Ava hissed as an icy cold crept into her bones and coursed through her body. 

Yanking her hand away and jumping backwards she yelled, "What the hell was that?" 

His gentle expression melted into a sneer. “It’s our contract,” he scoffed and, as if to purposefully add insult to injury, continued, “Surely you didn’t think I would trust the word of some Black Ring deserter that showed up at my door begging to be a sex slave?”

Ava gaped at him, shocked. Quickly, her rising embarrassment bubbled into rage and she exploded, “You can’t just cast binding spells on unsuspecting people!” 

“Oh, but I can.” Faster than Ava could react, he stood up and grabbed her by the root of her hair. She yelped as he pulled  _ hard _ , forcing her to tiptoe. “Now, will you listen to your rules or do you want to learn them one by one the hard way?” 

Ava grabbed at his arm but his grasp was unyielding. Her chest burned with hate and hot tears spilled down her cheeks. She felt transported to earlier times, when she was younger and powerless. A second, painful tug brought her back to reality. Bitter resignation replacing anger, she complied. “I will listen, Master.”

Ryker lowered her to the floor, his face almost perfectly neutral as he started: “You will spend the night in the opposite room unless I instruct you here. You will accompany me here for breakfast at seven in the morning sharp and for supper at seven in the evening. You will not wander the cemetery without my permission or open any door you haven’t been authorized to. You will not damage my property, living, unliving or undead. If I don’t provide you instructions for the day, grab a book and sit pretty somewhere. You look at me when I speak to you. You do not talk back. You answer every single question I ask you. You obey my every order without hesitation. These will be your rules unless I instruct you otherwise.” He took a brief pause. “Understood?” 

“Yes, Master.”

Ryker considered her for a moment. She was miserable, her face red and streaked with tears. Ava stared wide-eyed as he lowered his face to the base of her neck and  _ licked _ . Tilting her head as he did, it was a long, slow stroke along her collarbone and up to her ear, passing over the bitemarks he left only hours earlier. Ava couldn't contain a shudder. He released her with a smirk, which only grew wider when she wobbled and stumbled into the table behind her. Ava wiped her face and neck in disgust and, with a furious scream, stormed off. 

Slamming the door behind her, she threw herself in her bed and screamed some more into the pillow. What an insufferable, disgusting creep! Of course he relied on animated puppets to do his work. No normal person could stand a day under him. Fresh tears stung her eyes. In truth, she was almost as angry with herself. Her slick inner thighs proved her cunt got wet from his abuse in spite of her rage. There was obviously something wrong with her, too. She always considered herself good at dealing with domineering superiors, but this new dynamic was beyond that. Embracing it would make it easier to follow his stupid rules and survive here, but the thought of his smug face made her want to kill something. She didn’t want to give that sadistic fuck the satisfaction of thinking he broke her. 

Her rage subsided not too long after, just from how tiring it was. She held her right palm before her eyes. No trace of his spell remained on it but for the cold that still seemed to cling to her bones. She didn’t know much about them, but all binding spells had a rule and a consequence for breaking it. She guessed the "consequence" was more in line with "alerting Ryker" than "turn your blood into acid", since the man seemed to enjoy tormenting her too much to get rid of her so impersonally. “What a relief,” she groaned, pulling the blanket over her head. 

Ava settled in to sleep, ignoring the candle still alight on the nearby table. Fatigue was slowly pulling her into unconsciousness when the smell of sandalwood entered her nostrils. She partially lifted herself, looking around in confusion until she pulled her shirt to her nose. Her face grew hot with shame as a jolt of arousal shot directly to her sex. She bit her lip and squeezed her thighs, trying to suppress the unwanted feelings that instead grew stronger. When her arousal reached the breaking point she blew off the light and went under the covers. She took off her shirt and buried her face in it, inhaling his scent up to the point she started to feel dizzy then letting it out with a needy whimper. She wiggled out of her skirt and dove for her burning cunt. Ava moaned, stroking her swollen clit with one hand while holding the clothing to her face with the other. Hurt and anger were rapidly forgotten as Ava pleasured herself to the memory of Ryker violently claiming her body. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta da! This is my first published work and my second fanfic overall. The lockdown made me discover I actually enjoy writing and I'm excited! I have another D:OS2 fic in progress (not related to this one) that I hope to publish soon. I'll also probably write more about these two and their smutty adventures, lol.  
> English is my second language so please feel free to let me know errors or constructive criticism :>

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading <3 Next chapter has them formalize their agreement, no smut but still steamy. Any mistakes or constructive criticism let me know in the comments :>


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